Surgeon General Clears Air About Dangers Of Smoking

U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, one of the most conservative ideologues of the Reagan administration, brought his fervent anti-smoking crusade Tuesday to the University of Central Florida.

Koop, known for his outspoken stances against tobacco and abortion, made several speeches and other appearances at UCF that were well-attended by students, faculty and Central Florida residents. In planned remarks and interviews, Koop huffed and puffed about one of his favorite themes:

the dangers of smoking.

''The bomb that fell on Hiroshima killed some 340,000 people,'' said Koop. ''But where else have you seen that statistic -- 340,000 lost lives? I can tell you: 340,000 has been our best estimate . . . of the number of Americans who die prematurely each year because they smoke. In other words, cigarettes kill as many people in this country each year as the first atom bomb killed in Japan.''

Koop cited a litany of grim facts:

-- A person who smokes runs a risk of sudden cardiac death that is three times the risk of a non-smoker.

-- About 85 percent of all lung cancers in the United States are caused by cigarette smoking.

-- People who smoke a couple of packs a day have a lung cancer death rate 25 times greater than the rate for non-smokers.

-- Cigarette smoking is the major cause of chronic obstructive lung disease, such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Emphysema is common among older people who have smoked, but is rarely found among older non-smokers.

-- Women who smoke while they are pregnant have an increased risk of delivering their babies prematurely; of aborting the fetus spontaneously; of delivering a stillborn child; or of giving birth to a child who won't have the ability to survive more than a few days outside the womb.

''I'd say the verdict in the case against cigarettes is now quite clear,'' said Koop. ''Smoking is indeed the leading preventable cause of disease and death in this country.''

Koop is the latest surgeon general to pick up the tambourine in the crusade against cigarettes. The first surgeon general to warn the public was Dr. Luther Leoni-

das Terry, who in 1964 issued the now-famous report on smoking and health that eventually prompted Congress to require warning labels on cigarette packs.

Since Koop was sworn in as surgeon general in 1982, the federal government has produced several more reports on the relationship between smoking and various diseases. The latest step by Congress was the Comprehensive Smoking Education Act of 1984, which required cigarette manufacturers to put new and stronger warnings on their packages and in all advertising. There are four warnings, which must be rotated every three months.

Koop said the cigarette industry is a formidable and resilient foe. Cigarettes are a $60 billion-a-year industry, accounting for 2.5 percent of the U.S. gross national product.

The cigarette industry spends almost $3 billion a year on advertising, or almost $8 for every person in the United States.

Although they can no longer be advertised on radio and television, cigarettes still are the most widely advertised consumer product in the country.